Timothy
Acts 16:1
Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman…
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This young man was so closely associated with the Apostle Paul that they shared his thoughts and work. He is introduced to us in Acts 16:1. However, we must assume the more profound knowledge of him conveyed by historical references in the Acts and Epistles and by the letters of counsel addressed by St. Paul to him personally. Timothy was brought to Christ by St. Paul's preaching, and how the apostle reminds Timothy of his sufferings at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra (1 Timothy 3:10, 11 ), suggests that Timothy was an actual "witness of St. Paul's injurious treatment; and this at a time of life when the mind receives its deepest impressions from the spectacle of innocent suffering and undaunted courage. Furthermore, it is far from impossible that the generous and warm-hearted youth was standing in that group of disciples who surrounded the lifeless body of the apostle at the outside of the wails of Lystra."
I. THE ADVANTAGES OF TIMOTHY IN A GODLY ATMOSPHERE. He certainly had a naturally amiable and affectionate disposition from his birth. His mother, and her mother before her, were amiable and pious women and transmitted their natural grace to this young man. It is often observed that children bear their mother's disposition, and just such a gentle tone of character as Timothy showed has often been traceable to such a godly ancestry as he had. It may seem as if women had little work to do, but what a noble mission they have if their enduring culture of natural disposition gives their children the vantage-ground of amiable and attractive character! Few blessings resting on our lives surpass the hereditary influence of good and godly ancestors.
II. THE ADVANTAGE OF A WISE AND CAREFUL EARLY TRAINING. "It was reported of Timothy that he had known the Scriptures since he was a child." The knowledge of Scriptures involved several slices of his early life, such as:
(1) an early awakening of the intelligence;
(2) a guardianship of his youth and young manhood from folly and temptation;
(3) preparedness for the fuller light and truth brought to him by the apostle;
(4) fitness for the Christian ministry to which he subsequently became devoted.
It may also be shown he was the influence which his early teachers tended to encourage:
(1) a studious habit;
(2) cultivation of the passive graces almost to the disadvantage of the active.
No more beautiful characters are found on earth than those naturally amiable and whose amiability is sanctified by Divine grace. (Timothy was one.)
III. THE CHARACTERISTIC EXCELLENCES OF HIS SANCTIFIED MANHOOD. From the Epistles written by St. Paul to him, we gather the leading features of his character:
1. His disposition was great affectionateness, which made him draw faithfully to anyone he loved and made cheerful sacrifices for them.
2. Great steadfastness and trustworthiness so that St. Paul found he could always rely on him. He acted from principle, not a mere impulse, and had a strong sense of duty.
3. A studious habit of mind, which, no doubt, made him valuable to St. Paul for his writing work but became a snare to him, as unfitting for him, to some extent, for public ministerial duties. Out of this, and the consequent frailty of his health came a shyness and timidity which St. Paul urges him to overcome. It has been well said that Timothy is a beautiful example for young men, as "one of those simple, faithful natures which combine the glow of courage with the bloom of modesty."
IV. WHICH IS IT? TIMOTHY OR TIMOTHY OF EPHESUS? (Greek: ??µ??e??; Timótheos, meaning "honoring God" or "honored by God") was an early Christian evangelist and the first Christian bishop of Ephesus, who tradition relates died around the year A.D. 97.
Timothy was from the Lycaonian city of Lystra or Derbe in Asia Minor, born of a Jewish mother who had become a Christian believer and a Greek father. The Apostle Paul met him during his second missionary journey, and he became Paul's companion and missionary partner along with Silas. The New Testament indicates that Timothy traveled with Paul the Apostle, his mentor. He is addressed as the recipient of Timothy's First and Second Epistles. While included in the Pauline epistles of the New Testament, First and Second Timothy are considered by many biblical scholars to be pseudepigraphical and not written by Paul.
V. HIS LIFE
When Paul and Barnabas first visited Lystra, Paul healed a person crippled from birth, leading many inhabitants to accept his teaching. When he returned a few years later with Silas, Timothy was already a respected member of the Christian congregation, as were his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice, both Jews. In 2 Timothy 1:5, his mother and grandmother are well-known for their piety and faith. Timothy is said to have been acquainted with the Scriptures since childhood. In 1 Corinthians 16:10, there is a suggestion that he was by nature reserved and timid: "When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord."
Timothy's father was a Greek Gentile. Thus Timothy had not been circumcised, and Paul now ensured that this was done, according to Acts 16:1-3, to ensure Timothy's acceptability to the Jews they would be evangelizing. According to specific records: "Yet we see him in the case before us, circumcising Timothy with his hand, and this 'on account of certain Jews who were in those quarters." This did not compromise the decision made at the Council of Jerusalem, that gentile believers were not required to be circumcised.
VI. HIS MINISTRY
Timothy became St Paul's disciple and later his constant companion and co-worker in preaching. In the year 52, Paul and Silas took Timothy along with them to Macedonia. Augustine extols his zeal and disinterestedness in immediately forsaking his country, house, and parents, following the apostle, and sharing in his poverty and sufferings. Timothy may have been subject to ill health or "frequent ailments," and Paul encouraged him to "use a little wine for your stomach's sake."
When Paul went on to Athens, Silas and Timothy stayed at Beroea and Thessalonica before joining Paul at Corinth. Timothy next appears in Acts during Paul's stay in Ephesus (54–57), and in late 56 or early 57, Paul sent him forth to Macedonia to eventually arrive at Corinth. Timothy arrived at Corinth just after Paul's Letter, 1 Corinthians reached that city.
Timothy was with Paul in Corinth during the winter of 57–58 when Paul dispatched his Letter to the Romans. According to Acts 20:3-6, Timothy was with Paul in Macedonia just before Passover in 58; he left the city before Paul, going ahead of him to await Paul in Troas. "That is the last mention of Timothy in Acts," However, one historian writes, " In the year 64, Paul left Timothy at Ephesus, to govern that church.
His relationship with Paul was close. Timothy's name appears as the co-author on 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon. Paul wrote to the Philippians about Timothy, "I have no one like him." When Paul was in prison and awaiting martyrdom, he summoned his faithful friend Timothy for the last farewell.
That Timothy was jailed at least once during the writing of the New Testament is implied by the writer of Hebrews mentioning Timothy's release at the end of the epistle.
Although not stated in the Bible, other sources have records of the apostle's death. The apocryphal Acts of Timothy states that in the year 97 A.D., the 80-year-old bishop tried to halt a procession in honor of the goddess Diana by preaching the Gospel. The angry pagans beat him, dragged him through the streets, and stoned him to death.
VII PATRONAGE
Timothy is the patron invoked against stomach and intestinal disorders.
VIII PASTORAL EPISTLES
Main articles: See First Epistle to Timothy and Second Epistle to Timothy
See also: Pastoral Epistles, Pauline epistles, and Authorship of the Pauline epistles.
There are two letters to Timothy attributed to Paul the Apostle, First Epistle to Timothy and Second Epistle to Timothy. These, along with the Epistle to Titus, are called the Pastoral Epistles and are considered pseudepigraphic by many modern scholars.
VII ACTS OF TIMOTHY
The Acts of Timothy (Acta Timothei) is a New Testament Apocrypha, most likely from the 5th century. The Acts tell how Paul had consecrated Timothy as bishop during Nero's reign on a visit to Ephesus, which they made together. Then, under Nerva, Timothy suffers a martyr's death during a pagan festival. Timothy "attempts to put an end to the wild and violent goings-on but himself falls victim to the orgies."
The Acts of Timothy contain almost as much material about John the Evangelist, who was also a resident of Ephesus, as they do about Timothy.
See also;
• Eunice (mother)
• Lois (grandmother)
• Clement of Rome
"But it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Furthermore, of this Gospel, I was appointed a herald and an apostle, and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet, this is no cause for shame because I know whom I have believed and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day." – 2 Timothy 1:10-12
Whenever we try to change our lives, we typically try to change from the outside in. We change our appearance, we change our habits, and we change our routines. However, typically none of those changes stick unless we change our heart and our mindset first because outward change is typically a reflection of adjustments we make on the inside.
That is so different and special about what happens when you enter into a relationship with Jesus and begin to walk with Him. He does not change you from the outside in. Instead, He changes you from the inside out and gives you new desires and a new outlook on life.
Think about what happened with the disciples after Jesus' death and resurrection. During the crucifixion of Jesus, all but one of the disciples ran away to hide. They were terrified that they would be persecuted and killed for being associated with the Messiah. They were cowards.
However, after Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples were given a newfound sense of courage and confidence in being Christ-followers, so much so that many of them ended up dying gruesome, humiliating deaths because they refused to turn their backs on Jesus. Nathanael was skinned alive. James was dragged through cobblestone streets to his death. Peter was crucified upside down. Moreover, that is just a few of the many men who courageously stood up for their faith and their Savior.
The only person who could change these once cowardly and fearful men into brave, fearless martyrs is Jesus Christ. Furthermore, He can institute that same kind of change in you. Just as Paul promises in his Letter to the church of Corinth, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Lord can change you from the inside out and make you a new creation. You need only to humble yourself and ask Him to begin that changing work in your life
